Diminutive Les Colvin made up for his lack of size with incredibly fast reflexes. After playing three years with his hometown Oshawa Generals of the OHA, he moved to Washington to play two years with the Eagles of the EAHL.

From 1941 through most of 1946, Colvin had little time for hockey, primarily due to World War Two. When he did return in the fall of 1946, he played ten games with the Shawinigan Cataracts of the Quebec Senior League. In 1947-48, Colvin headed to the west coast where he played for the Vancouver Canucks. He also made brief stops in Los Angeles and Portland before returning to Quebec.

In the 1948-49 season Colvin was loaned to the NHLs Boston Bruins by Shawinigan for what would be the one and only game of his NHL career. The game was January 22, 1949 with Colvin and the Bruins finishing on the short end of a 4-2 count to the Montreal Canadiens.

Colvin played several more years of competitive hockey in Moncton and North Bay before retiring in 1953 at the age of 32.